


I noticed the butterflies in my stomach

by Giulietta



Series: Mari-nyan [29]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Agreste Is Sunshine, Awesome Nino Lahiffe, Denial of Feelings, Developing Relationship, Episode: s01 Jackady | Simon Says, Friendship/Love, Gen, Kwami Swap, Male Friendship, Minor Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Oblivious Marinette Dupain-Cheng, POV Marinette Dupain-Cheng, Plagg Being Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Shy Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-08-30
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:00:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,830
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26188351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Giulietta/pseuds/Giulietta
Summary: Marinette realizes that she might have some strange feelings for Adrien...... It's the only explanation why she's starting to dislike Chloé more than the norm.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Nino Lahiffe, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Nino Lahiffe, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Plagg
Series: Mari-nyan [29]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1745011
Kudos: 41





	I noticed the butterflies in my stomach

**Author's Note:**

> Oblivious Cat!Marinette is realizing her feelings of...
> 
> Protectiveness! (yeah. Marinette is pretty dumb on the feelings department.)

Marinette knew Nino invited her and Alya to this live game show called **The Challenge**. The problem? Adrien is coming. Now, don't get her wrong. Adrien and her are friends. They might even be heading to best friends with how fluid their conversations goes but...

" **I need to stay away from him.** "

Marinette said this more to herself. Something is off. She doesn't... She doesn't like the feelings growing inside her. She's actually starting to resent Chloé other than being a bully. She resents the blonde rich girl because she's always hanging around Adrien. **That is not normal.** How is this not normal? It's because she doesn't resent Adrien hanging out with anyone else for the matter, but she simply dislikes seeing Chloé latching onto her friend like a parasite. 'Am I envious of their friendship? Am I angry she's making Adrien uncomfortable? Am I...'

"Am I possessive, Plagg?" Marinette is distressed, prancing in her room. That's the only explanation why she finds herself growing annoyed at Chloé's presence. Marinette isn't that type of person. She always learns to forgive people and see the good in them. _Her Papa taught her better._ How can she be nice and friendly if she starts hating someone because of another? 'This must be envy, but why is this envy so specific?'

"Dunno. Maybe?" Plagg shrugged, munching on cheese. "Cats are territorial."

"I appreciate your idea of labeling _this issue_ to be one of the miraculous effects but!" Marinette flopped on her chaise. "It's wrong. I know it's wrong and I need to make it right. How do I make it right~?"

"Maybe Sunshine is a miraculous holder?" Plagg shrugged and Marinette hugged her ladybug doll.

"Adrien is too busy to have an alter ego and I doubt the miraculouses act that way." Marinette shot it down. "Besides, we saw Adrien while Misterbug is present. They're two different people."

"True..." Plagg yawned, stretching on her desk. "But really? You're skipping an invitation because of one guy? That's stupid."

"I'm skipping it because I won't have any free time after _today_." Marinette planted her face on the ladybug cushion. 'I can't face Adrien after learning what I'm doing. This new trait reminds me of those fans. Those creepy fans.'

"At least you didn't lie." Plagg played with the ball of yarn on the table. "Telling your tardiness to your parents and accepting punishment. What a champ!"

"Better me than my teachers.." Marinette murmured, still trying to search for a way to remove the green-eyed bug inside her.

"At least we get a break-ack!" Plagg fell off with the yarn, but laughed when it got somewhat unraveled from the fall. "Hey~ This is better than toilet paper."

"You fiend..." Marinette wasn't into scolding today. She needs a plan to get back to being 'good friend' to Adrien rather than being a 'jelly friend' who's being petty. 'I am Marinette, not petty-nette!'

...

"Hey Brie?" Plagg called out and Marinette might have fallen asleep. She was overworked in the past few days and maybe she should cut some slack on patrolling Paris? Nah. She's never been able to travel around Paris without limitations. She loves moving around as Lady Noire! Saving people is a fair exchange. Plagg zoomed up and stared at her vibrating phone. "Model boy is sending your messages."

"Ignore him." Marinette decided, sitting up and fixing her relaxed pigtails. She has a plan. It's not exactly lousy but it will do plan. The reason why she acts this way to Adrien is surely because he's innocent and new to the world. What she's feeling is not envy (or maybe it's mixed into the concoction), but mostly protectiveness. It's not the first time she felt protective before. She's done it to Alya plenty of time. **_It's not like she like likes Adrien! That would be weird because they barely know each other and Adrien always keeps saying she's his amazing friend! She's also Lady Noire and how can she date someone if she almost always dies once a month from akuma?! No boyfriend would want to see their girlfriend get hurt and Marinette would never give Plagg up for a relationship she might risk disappointing! _**

"Twenty new messages.." Plagg commented. "One miscall. Wow. It must be serious."

"Maybe it's akuma?" Marinette decided. The solution for this new finding is to keep distance. She knows getting into a relationship would be a mess. She also doesn't know how Adrien feels about her. Like she said earlier, Adrien is new to the world. Marinette would hate herself for using his innocence to her advantage. 'I just have to stay away for a while and get back my bearings. Adrien sees me as a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. I should not change the quota. I am friends with Adrien.'

'Adrien is a civilian. He's like Alya. Treat him like Alya...' Marinette slowly stood up, walking to her desktop to check on the Ladyblog. She knows Nino invited her, Adrien and Alya. However, she and Alya couldn't come so obviously Alya is going to ask Nino to video the scene if an akuma does come right? 'That's boyfriend-girlfriend stuff or am I overthinking this?'

"Reading your message with the blogger.." Plagg is flicking her phone with his electricity-charged nubs. _Kwamis have a strange method of interacting with material._ "Lemme see.. She's asking if you're okay, why you're not looking at your phone, Adrien's spamming her with text too and..."

"What a strike of bad luck." Marinette narrowed her eyes, staring at the video Nino's posting. "Akuma."

"Thank kwami Lady Noire isn't grounded, am I right?" Plagg snickered, swirling around his chosen.

"But just to be safe." Marinette decided, grabbing her babybug dolls and heading to her bed. "They'll never see it coming."

"Your parents are pretty trusting." Plagg watched Marinette rearrange the bed, covering the pillows under the sheets. "Lookin' good, pigtails."

"Now it's time to transform." Marinette opened her trap door. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

The new villain is all her idol's fault. _He should have delivered the message nicely._ Gabriel Agreste was never the type to joke with anyone after the death of his wife. However, why in the world would Alec agree to contacting the fashion mogul of all people to get hypnotized?! That's dumb and an obvious way to having someone get akumatized. _Oh no. What if TVi is actually working with Hawkmoth?!_ Lady Noire reached the studio on the third floor, curious where the akumatized villain went.

"Lady Noire!" Nino called out and she looked at the debris where Nino hid. Nino ran up to her, holding the phone which led her here in the first place. "Am I glad to see you!"

"I'm glad not everyone is a controlled puppet." Lady Noire nodded. "Do you know how this **Simon says** work?"

"He tosses cards that turns whatever it touch to be whatever he said earlier." Nino hurriedly explains. "But my boy Adrien's still here somewhere! We gotta find him."

"Don't worry." Lady Noire carefully moved the phone away from her. _Regardless her identity, she'll always need to see Adrien huh?_ "We'll find him. Can you turn the phone off? Don't want the Ladyblog getting bombarded with Adrien fans, am I right?"

"Yeah. I get that." Nino turned it off, walking out with Lady Noire following him. "He's probably here somewhere."

"It's easier going down than going up." Lady Noire concluded. "Let's search on the second floor."

"I still can't believe you came." Nino talked to her as they head through the stairs. _Elevator isn't working._ Nino almost tripped but she caught his arm. "My bad."

"Be careful. Adrien won't appreciate it if you get hurt searching for him." Lady Noire reminded and Nino continued walking to the doors. He opened it and she prepared her staff to see...?

"Oh, sorry." Misterbug dropped his yo-yo. "I thought you were Simon Says."

"No worries, bugabear." Lady Noire laughed. "At least you're early today."

"He's after Adrien's dad!" Nino told them and neither are surprised. "But more importantly, we gotta find Adrien."

"Uh... Forget it." Misterbug shrugged it off and failed. _Lady Noire can see his tense shoulders and peculiar body movement._ "He's probably hypnotized."

"But he's my buddy!" Nino argued and Lady Noire's cat ears perked at the sound of a familiar beep.

"Misterbug, you're going to change back." Lady Noire reminded, but then glanced at Nino. "I'll help Nino search for his friend then I'll meet up with you at the Agreste Mansion."

"Y-you're right." Misterbug seems to be hiding a secret with how hesitant he is. " Maybe he's hiding. I'll leave you to look for him. Bug out!"

"He's acting weird." Lady Noire tilted her head and Nino shook his head.

"Think about that later. We need to find Adrien." Nino started opening doors to check the rooms.

"Hm..." Lady Noire followed the DJ, scanning every nook and cranny of the rooms.

"This is new..." Lady Noire said in awe, walking across the bridge with Nino.

"This your first time here, dudet-I mean Lady Noire?" Nino asked, looking behind him to see the feline staring up at the lamps.

"I never really bothered to look up..." Lady Noire confessed and she quickly looked down and readied her staff at the sound of footsteps. She later lowered it when she saw it's her friend Adrien.

"Dude!" Nino ran to Adrien and she hesitantly walked close at the lovely sight of two guys reunited in the middle of an akuma attack. "You're okay!"

"Of course I am!" Adrien smiled and Lady Noire felt a little out of place.

"I guess I should be going." Lady Noire also doesn't want to find a loop hole to her plan. She won't abuse her powers to keep Adrien safe. Well. Not for her self-interest anyways!

"I-wait!" Adrien called and Lady Noire looked back at the model. He quickly turned timid, something she hasn't seen before, and waved. "Hi?"

"...Hello!" Lady Noire returned the greeting, waving her hand. "You uh look fine? Yes. Fine to us me..."

'Oh god. Why can't I make words right?' Lady Noire knew she's confident but why can't she convey the messages in her head. 'What is happening to me?'

"Yeah..." Adrien scratched the back of his head and did he blush? _Nah. She's overthinking it again._ Adrien quickly changed his expression, from shy to worry. "But we've got to get to my house now! My father's in danger!"

"Adrien's right. Simon has beef against the old man." Nino grimaced. "Just like the rest of us."

"Nino." Adrien berated and Lady Noire covered her mouth with one hand to laugh.

"What? It's true." Nino defended his answer.

"Don't worry. Bug and I won't let that happen." Lady Noire has a brilliant idea to overcome her new issue - DO NOT LOOK AT ADRIEN! It's an ingenious plan, similar to her first plan even. Lady Noire hid her baton, running out. "Let's go. I know a shortcut!"

**Author's Note:**

> Denial is a powerful tool. o-o


End file.
